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Jews may be 'target' but Hanukkah keeps Pittsburgh shooting hate away

Hillel Rockland presents a Night of Light, a community gathering Wednesday in honor of the shloshim of the victims of the Pittsburgh massacre, at the Rockland Jewish Community Campus in West Nyack.
Rockland/Westchester Journal News

Laura Morell and her daughter Elaina, 3, decorate a Star of David during a Hanukkah celebration at Congregation B'Nai David, Tulare County's only major synagogue.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)

It was almost 60 years ago today that Congregation B'Nai David, Tulare County's only major synagogue, first came together.

Back then, there were only a dozen or so families who took turns hosting the Torah and religious ceremonies out of their homes.

Keren Friedman lived in Woodlake at the time. She remembers having to travel to Fresno to buy the holiday's signature candles and decorations. They couldn't be found in any stores locally.

Today, however, congregants wear festive blue dresses emblazoned with menorahs purchased around the corner from a Target clearance rack for $7. They sing the "Driedel Song" and other Hanukkah standards in English and Hebrew between bites of sour cream-smothered latkes. Children hover around a crafts table decorating Popsicle stick Stars of David

"I lived in Israel for 10 years. There, people would hang menorahs outside their homes," Friedman said. "Here you would have to look much harder, but that's beginning to change."

B'Nai David has since outgrown its homespun roots, now counting 65 families among its ranks. In 1998, they built a dedicated sanctuary, so they no longer had to celebrate Hanukkah out of St. Paul's Anglican Church or at the Ice House Theater, as in decades past.

"We remain a small group, so it's important to have a sense of place — that's how you foster community," said B'nai board member Ethan Dutton. "We work hard to maintain a strong Jewish presence in the Valley."

Despite the synagogue's expansion and wider availability of Hanukkah supplies, little has changed for the Central Valley's Jewish community since the 1950s.

For example, B'Nai David is still so small that they can't afford to hire a full-time Rabbi. A student Rabbi makes the three-hour drive up from Los Angeles every month to administer prayer and religious services.

When Ariel Zitney made the drive to Visalia last month, he oversaw a candlelight vigil in honor of those killed in the Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting.

Zitney grew up in Orange County. Compared to Southern California's large and active Jewish community, he says Jewish folks in the Central Valley can feel isolated.

"Because Jews (in Tulare County) are few and far between, they felt alone (in their grief)," Zitney said. "(After the Squirrel Hill shooting) They felt like it could have been them."

Alex Lechtman, B'Nai board president, agreed.

"Because of where we are, we have to represent the whole Jewish community," Lechtman said. "We are the target in Tulare County."

Last month, an FBI agent from the Fresno field office visited the synagogue to offer Lechtman and other board members safety recommendations. During the Jewish High Holy Days, Lechtman says the congregation hires private security to ensure visitors' safety.

The temple recently applied for federal grants to hire a full-time security guard.

"The weekend after the Pittsburgh shootings, we kept the gates locked to give everyone extra peace of mind," Lechtman said. "It's been a tough season, but we won't let that stop us from moving forward."

Lechtman said B'nai David has received donations and letters of support from across the state, following a LA Times story highlighting the temple.

"One woman donated and wrote that she grew up in Visalia, her father had owned three businesses on Main Street," Lechtman said. "The response has been super amazing."

Lechtman pointed to the parallels between Hanukkah's history and the events of today.

Hanukkah, which means "dedicate" in Hebrew, traditionally celebrates the reclamation of the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Greek, who had outlawed the practice of Judaism and converted the temple into an altar to Zeus.

A large-scale rebellion led by Judah Maccabee won the temple back. Following the battle, there was only enough untainted olive oil to light the menorah for one day, but the flames lasted for eight nights and nine days — hence the nine-armed candelabrum, or Hanukkiah, and abundance of fried foods.

"Jews were persecuted and outnumbered then, but they overcame and rededicated the temple," Lechtman said. "The same spirit is here today: No matter what, don't let adversity get in the way of your faith."

Over the years, Lechtman says the synagogue has experienced a few incidents of graffiti, though it's been years since the temple was last hit by vandals. Beyond some "ignorant rhetoric," B'nai congregants say they haven't encountered a lot of anti-Semitism in the Central Valley.

"Visalia is a jewel in the Central Valley," Lechtman said. "It's always been a very welcoming town."

Valeria and Dov Adler, B'Nai's newest congregants, agreed with Lechtman. They moved to the states from Israel six years ago to teach and work in agricultural research. They say like Tulare County, Israel is at the forefront of agricultural innovation.

Dov said he appreciates the size of the Jewish community in the Central Valley. Because it is so small, "it makes it better" since other families and children are more active, "so you actually get to know people."

Last week Valeria visited her son Ze'ev's third-grade classroom at Blue Oak Academy to teach other seven and eight-year-olds about Hanukkah. Ze'ev and his classmates learned to play Dreidel and ate chocolate gold coins.

She said some children had heard of Hanukkah but didn't know much about it, so they were happy to be educated and "eat sweet treats."

"The world is huge," Valeria said, watching her giggling 9-month-old crawl across the synagogue's yard. "We have to expose our kids to as many different cultures as possible — that's what makes life beautiful."

Laurie Hart holds a menorah and poses with her family in matching, Hanukkah-themed dresses at Congregation B'Nai David in Visalia.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)

Congregation B'nai David board president Alex Lechtman and Ethan Dutton show off their holiday sweaters - complete with flashing lights.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)